Leica Leicavit Rapid Winder

April 25, 2022April 25, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I’ve placed my Leica leicavit rapid winder for sale in my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com. The Leicavit will work on the Leica IIIf and IIIg 35mm rangefinder cameras from the 1950s with a serial number higher than 400,000. This winder has been fully serviced and adjusted by Mr. Yoxin Ye who is a well-known Leica repairperson.

Designed for “Sequence Photography” per Leica’s instruction booklet. This one will work with the IIIf and IIIg.

Here is the Leicavit pictured on my 1956 Leica IIIg.

As pictured, it comes with the original box and tissue paper. Not very many of these are available that have been fully serviced. It was tested on my Leica IIIg and 100% is working. Thanks for stopping by and if you’re interested in purchasing it please visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com which is hosted by Etsy. You can also follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Comments are always welcomed as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, is this blog’s property and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris.

Happy SUNday! – My Leica gets a new case

April 24, 2022April 24, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

My Leica IIIg from 1956 gets a new leather half-case from TP Original http://www.tporiginal.com

I like the contrast between the rich color of the leather (Volcano) and the gray and silver metal of the Leica’s body.

I plan on replacing the black leatherette that covered the body when it came from the factory at some point as I have the replacement panels.

The camera has been fully serviced by Mr. Yoxin Ye so it’s good to go as it’s been calibrated, cleaned, lubed, and adjusted.

What do you think? Do you like the naked look of my camera?

Here it is presented without its leatherette coverings and with the Leicavit rapid winder attached.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! – Chris

A gem from Canon – 1972

April 21, 2022April 21, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

The Canon F-1 was released in 1971 and represented Canon’s first professional level 35mm single-lens reflex camera. This beautiful set is from 1972 and features a Canon FD 50mm f1.4 lens.

Complete kit including the correct first edition instruction booklet.

Chrome nose Canon lenses are my favorite.

Early models do not have the film reminder slot on the rear of the film door. Early serial numbers in the 1xxxxx range are your assurances that it’s an early model.

Chasing an early model Canon F-1 has become a bit harder as these cameras are now over 50 years old. Finding one with an original chrome-nosed Canon lens is even harder but certainly worth the effort. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

In the Shop – Canon New F-1 Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Edition

April 18, 2022April 18, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

This wonderful set sold to another collector a while back but I wish I still had it in my collection! Oh well, it’s time to look for another one. – Chris

Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

New in my shop today is this awesome Canon New F-1 with AE Finder FN, Canon FD 50mm f1.8 Lens and the Official 35mm Camera of the 1984 Olympic Games Lens Cap (plus all boxes, straps, caps, instruction booklets, warranty cards).

This is the first time that this set has been offered for sale and it’s in nearly perfect cosmetic condition and in 100% fully working (tested) condition.

The best Canon SLR to come out of the early 1980s – by far!

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The Canon New F-1 with AE Finder FN is a professional camera that combines a balance between the electronic and mechanical worlds – its electromechanical hybrid shutter provides greater overall accuracy and a wider range of shutter speeds. If the battery fails, you can continue shooting at any of the high speeds or B, all of which are mechanically controlled. A new Energizer battery has been installed and…

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Yashica’s Model A TLR – a camera you should collect

April 12, 2022April 12, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Hi all… if you’re looking to get into medium-format film photography may I suggest you look for the Yashica Model A as a good starting point. The camera is super simple to operate and is very affordable compared to other Yashica models. The better price doesn’t get you an inferior camera though as the Model A uses high-quality Yashica lenses made by Tomioka Optical of Tokyo. Here’s an example of a Model A. This one was made in 1966 and is in mint condition.

Here’s a link to the instruction booklet. http://www.yashicatlr.com/PDFs%20User%20Manuals%20(new)/Yashica%20A%20(LoRes).pdf

The right side has a large focusing knob in feet and meters and a smaller film advance knob (upper left).

This camera’s left side features an accessory shoe.

A red viewing window indicates which exposure you’re on.

Film loading is simple as is unloading. The camera uses easy to find 120 roll film. I like using film from Fujifilm.

Both the viewing lens (top) and the taking lens are Yashikor f3.5 80mm made by Tomioka Optical. The shutter is made by Copal and features speeds from B (Bulb) to 1/300. The shutter is cocked by moving the lever (with a green dot) downward after advancing the film. The shutter release is the silver button on the lower left of the faceplate. The aperture is set by the silver lever to the right of the taking lens.

Instruction booklet from the first version of the camera (1956).

Why I love the Yashica-A. It’s simple to use and simple to operate and with less fussy features it’s likely to operate for decades to come and it’s easy to chase down on the online auction and buying sites (eBay, Etsy, Mercari). What’s the downside? Like any camera that’s over five decades old, fungus and mold on the lenses are the biggest issues. The good news is that it’s relatively easy to get at the lenses and give them a good cleaning as long as the fungus hasn’t etched the glass lens elements. I find my Yashica-A’s lens is just as good a picture taker as my much more feature-laden Yashica-Mat EM with a Yashinon lens. For much more on everything related to Yashica TLRs, stop by my good friend Paul Sokk’s site at http://www.yashicatlr.com – Thanks for stopping by, Chris

Yashica LM – a different view

April 1, 2022April 1, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

My Yashica LM as seen on my Burke & James Press 4 x 5 camera’s focusing screen.

The Yashica LM has a “built-in” exposure meter that’s attached to the camera’s left side. It’s a selenium cell meter so no batteries are required but after 60 years most have stopped working. This one still works! For more about all Yashica TLRs, visit my good friend Paul Sokk’s site at http://www.yashicatlr.com/66ModelsPage4.html#yashicalm

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Happy SUNday! – Yashica friends

March 13, 2022March 13, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

New items in my camera shop!

February 27, 2022February 27, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Hello all – it’s been a while since I’ve shared a few of the items I have in my online camera shop which is hosted by Etsy at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

As always, everything in my shop is of the highest quality and in some cases, quite rare or at least very hard to find. Lots of stuff to add a nice touch to your camera collection. If there’s something you’re looking for and you don’t see it please drop me a message here or at ccphotographyai@gmail.com as I just may have what you’re looking for. Thanks for stopping by and please keep the citizens of Ukraine in your thoughts and prayers. – Chris

My unfinished Leica IIIg project

February 19, 2022February 19, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

It’s been fully serviced and brought back to the factory specifications. The old leatherette covering has been removed and the new leather has been delivered. So why haven’t I finished with the restoration? The simple and short answer is I have no idea. This image was taken in the Summer of 2020 and the camera hasn’t been touched since – it’s not on display either. I guess it’s time to finish this project, load some film, and enjoy it. I can’t believe how quickly time is slipping by.

It looks so industrial without the leatherette. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Canon AV-1

February 17, 2022February 17, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I’ve added this lovely Canon AV-1 to my online camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com. If you’re not familiar with this model it’s worth your time to read a bit more about it as it has some very interesting features and is super simple to use (it’s a great camera to use when you’re just starting into film photography).

This one is from 1981. A nearly perfect example of this not often seen Canon 35mm SLR. The AV-1 (Aperture Value) camera is pretty unique in that you select the aperture you want on the FD lens and then the camera selects the proper shutter speed for true auto exposure photography.
The AV-1 accepts all of Canon’s FD mount lenses (tons of them to choose from) and works directly with the dedicated Canon Speedlites like the 133A, 155A, 177A, and 199A.

This one is in collector’s condition – it’s that nice.

Load the film, set the ASA (far left dial) adjust the shutter dial (red A), pick an aperture (here it’s set to f8) compose and focus your subject then fire away.

The AV-1 accepts all of Canon’s FD mount lenses which is a bunch!

The AV-1 uses an easy-to-find and not expensive 6v A544 battery that’s sold pretty much everywhere. I buy these batteries online in groups of 5 to save even more.

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Comments are always welcomed as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by and, while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan